As the Seconds Pass
by The Marauders3
Summary: I didn't like Kurt's reaction at the end, so I changed it a bit. Nothing much, but it's not so sappy. Please read!
1. Invitations and Shopping

Ok everyone, I've decided to start a new story. It's an idea that's been bugging me for a while. It's set in December, and Maria and the Captain aren't together yet. But they will be, so read, review, and wait for more! Thanks!

Note: I would be honored to thank my dear friend and beta The Lonely Goatherd for her help and suggestions for this story, and her fabulous title. Thanks dear!

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Maria was late for breakfast. Again. Sprinting into the dining room, she gasped a hurried, "Sorry I'm late," took her place at the foot of the table, and looked expectantly at the Captain to say the prayer.

"For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful. Amen."

There was a chorus of 'Amen's around the table, and then Kurt made everyone laugh by saying, "Can we eat _now_?"

"We certainly can, now that your governess is here at last," said the Captain, giving his favorite Fräulien a half-smile. She blushed and started cutting up Gretl's eggs.

Breakfast passed in relative chaos, something that had become a regular occurrence since Maria had been there. When Kurt was finally done with his third slice of toast, Maria asked, "What shall we do today, children?"

"Go on a picnic!"

"No, we did that Tuesday! Let's go on a boat ride!"

"But I can't swim! Let's play with dolls!"

"Dolls are stupid! Why don't we play a game?"

"But I want to finish my book!"

"What about our lessons? I was finally learning how to conjugate verbs!"

"Aww come on Liesl, French is stupid! And I want to play dolls with Gretl!"

"Why don't you all just calm down." Maria tried to quiet them, but-

"Children!" the Captain finally shut them up with his Captain-voice. "Why don't we ask Fräulien Maria what we should do?"

Maria blushed at having the spotlight on her again, so she gave a noncommittal shrug and said, "Whatever you want to do, I'm fine with, but I really think we should work on your lessons for an hour or so before doing anything else. We wouldn't want you to dream away your winter holidays, would we?" She gave the Captain a pointed look at this point.

"I think that would be a wonderful idea," he said, smiling again. "Children, why don't you go upstairs and get started. I need to have a word with your governess." The children looked at each other, fearful that their Fräulien was going to get fired. "I'm not going to fire her," the Captain chuckled, "I just need to ask her something. Now get going." He waited until Brigitta was fully out the door before turning to Maria.

"You wanted to ask me something?" she asked, standing up and walking over to him. He nodded and led her out of the dining room and into his study. They sat down on the couch, something they had made a habit out of doing for the past few weeks.

"You know how we've become friends over the past few weeks?" he asked, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"How could I forget?" she giggled, and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Mmm. Well, my friend Josef sent me an invitation."

"Wasn't he in the Navy with you? You've got too many friends for me to remember them all."

"Yes, he was in the Navy with me, and sometimes I forget my acquaintances too… But that's beside the point. He wants me to attend his New Year's ball, and he told me I could bring someone if I wanted to."

"Do you think you'll go?"

"Well, that depends." The Captain turned towards Maria, gently removing her head from his shoulder. "Would you be willing to-"

"Watch the children? I've only been doing it for half a year; I think I can handle them for one night." She chuckled.

"That's not what I was going to ask."

"Then what did you want to ask?" Maria looked at him, confused. What would he want her to do beside watch the children? What else could she _do _besides watch the children?

"D'yawannagow'me?" he asked, gazing at her expectantly.

"What?" Maria laughed. Seeing the Captain, usually such an articulate man, reduced to speechlessness, was amusing.

"Do you want to go to the ball with me?" he asked again, then feeling like an idiot as he watched her face. It had turned from a joyful smile to a confused wreck. Oh why, oh why did he ask her? They had just become friends, ever since she had visited him in his study one evening. That was when they had talked all night. Every night since then, they had chatted for hours after the children had gone to bed. He had gotten to know her pretty well, and found himself falling more in love with her every day.

Captain von Trapp, usually such a brave man, was now feeling scared. Scared that the love of his life would turn him down. Scared that he was being too forward with his darling Maria. Scared that she would leave again, and not come back this time. Scared that she might say-

"Yes."

"What?" he sputtered, bewildered. By the look on her face, he thought she might say no.

"Yes, Captain, I will go to the ball with you," Maria repeated, giggling a bit at the look on his face.

"You will? Oh good, I thought you might say no." This was the truth. That was why he was so scared.

"Why would I say no? I've never been to a ball before, why would I pass up the opportunity to go to one with you?" Dear Lord why did she just say that? Why did she get the feeling that she would do anything her dear Sea Captain asked her to? Why did she want him to see her, not as the tomboyish governess, but an elegant lady? Could she even _act _like an elegant lady? Oh dear…

"You went to Elsa's ball," the Captain said. He couldn't say it was _his _ball, even though he planned it and threw it. It was for Elsa and Elsa only.

"Yes well that doesn't count," Maria said hurriedly.

"Oh and why not?" He was joking with her now. Actually, it might seem like joking to Maria, but it was really flirting.

"Well I was the governess then! I wasn't actually attending it! And I'm not going to be the governess this time- am I? Are you inviting me as a friend or as an employee?"

"As a friend of course! How could I invite you any other way?"

"Oh I don't know…" she sighed. This was getting to be too complicated for her liking.

"So you'll come?" He needed reassuring that she was absolutely sure.

"Of course! I would love to!" She seemed rather excited about the whole thing. "When is it? I'll need to get something acceptable to wear…"

"It's in two weeks. Will that give you enough time to find a dress?"

"It gives me enough time to _make _a dress! Oh! I'll have to draw a design, and get fabric, and measure myself again, all your good food is making me fat, and sew, and-"

"Maria!" He interrupted her rant, making her stop abruptly. "You are anything but fat!" She gave the Captain a glare at this point. "Well it's true, I mean look at you! I could probably pick you up and swing you around if I wanted to…."

"You wouldn't," she stared at him with wide eyes.

"You never know," he said mysteriously. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Now, as for your design, do you think you might let me…?"

"No. It will be a surprise." She really wanted to amaze him this time.

"Well at least let Liesl see it, she should give you an idea of whether it's appropriate or not." The Captain didn't think anything Maria designed would be inappropriate. "And please allow me to take you into town for your material." Maria started to protest, but he stopped her and stood up. "Now, I suggest you check on the children, and start making your design." Maria stood up too and started to leave. However, she suddenly ran back to the Captain, threw her arms around his neck, kissed his cheek, muttered a quick "Thank you!" into his ear, and ran out of the study, leaving a dumbfounded Captain standing with his hand touching his cheek where she had kissed him.

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"Oh! I just can't get this right!" Louisa slumped back in her chair in defeat, glaring at her surface area problems.

"Really Louisa, it's not that hard. Here, let's try again. You have a cylinder. You want to find the surface area. What do you do?" Maria tried to simplify the problem for the girl.

"Find the area of all the sides and add them," she muttered, giving the problem a look Medusa would be proud of.

"And how do you find the area of the base?"

"You… multiply the radius by pi?"

"No, you multiply the radius times the radius, then by pi. Remember, it's pi times radius squared."

"Oh yeah, huh." Louisa tried finding the area of the base of the figure. "12.56? How does that make sense?"

"When you multiply a number by pi, you usually get a decimal," Maria said gently, remembering the time she multiplied two by one half and got one fourth. "Then what do you do?"

"Ummm…. Do you multiply that by two?"

"Yes! And why do we do that?"

"Because… it's the base _and _the top! Yes!" Louisa multiplied by two. "25.12. Now what? Find the area of the… rest of it… and how? Oh, this is hopeless…."

"Come on Louisa, just have confidence in yourself. You know how tall it is, it's 5 units tall, so how would you find the area?"

"Multiply by the width, I know that, but what _is _the width?"

"Well, if we take this apart, then you can find the circumference of the top, and…" Maria showed Louisa exactly how to find the surface area. When she was pleased with the result, she left Louisa to do the rest of her problems, and went to work on her dress.

"Fräulien Maria, that's a beautiful dress! What's it for?" Maria found Liesl inspecting the rough sketch of the dress she planned to make.

"Your father asked me to attend a ball with him, and I said I'd go, and that's the dress I'm going to make."

"It's beautiful! But it needs something extra… What color were you planning for it to be?" Liesl was still studying her dress.

"I'm not quite sure, but I was thinking maybe white…"

Liesl started humming a song under her breath. Maria couldn't quite make it out, but it sounded something like 'My Favorite Things'.

"Do you have a pencil?" Liesl suddenly asked, looking up at her governess. Maria handed her the pencil she had been using. Liesl wouldn't let Maria see what she was doing to her drawing. Maria was trying to look over her shoulder when the Captain walked into the room, unbeknownst to her and Liesl. He looked at the drawing, gave one of his half-smiles, and said, "Nice dress."

"Captain!" Maria cried, startled. "It was supposed to be a surprise! What are you doing here?" She spun around to look at her dress. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DRESS?"

"What?" Liesl said innocently, looking down at Maria's altered dress.

"I can't wear something like _that!"_ Maria exclaimed, staring at the neckline. It was much lower than her original drawing, which wasn't exactly high to begin with.

"Yes you can! I think it's perfectly fine to show a little skin." Liesl tried to argue her point.

"A little is what I had before. That- if I wore that, I'd look like a slut, and I am _not _a slut!"

"You can afford to show a little cleavage!"

"Liesl, there's nothing there to show!"

"What are you, crazy? There's plenty to show!"

"No there isn't!"

"Well there would be if you'd wear proper undergarments!"

"My undergarments are proper, thank you very much!"

"Well I say we take you out shopping to get you a bra that will give you some cleavage! Can we Father? When we go out to get the material for her dress?"

"I don't know if I want to get into this argument…"

"Oh it's all your fault Captain! You and your stupid ball!" Maria tried to storm out of the room, but the Captain caught her around the waist and dragged her back.

"Temper, temper, Fräulien," he joked. She slumped down in his arms, defeated. He pulled her to him in a comforting hug. "It's all right, Maria. You'll be the belle of the ball," he said, trying to comfort her.

"You mean the slut of the ball, if I wear what Liesl wants me to wear."

"That's better than some of the dresses women wore to Elsa's ball."

"I just don't think I can wear something like that," Maria mumbled into the Captain's jacket.

"Maria, you'll look beautiful, I promise. How about we come to a happy medium between your dress and Liesl's?"

"I suppose so." The Captain kissed the top of her head and let her out of his arms. Then he took the pencil and Maria's drawing from Liesl, spent a moment correcting the neckline, and gave it back to Maria.

"Oh Captain! I love it!" Maria grinned, staring at her new and improved dress. The Captain had raised the neckline so it still showed a little, but was perfectly appropriate. He had also added a sash, giving it an empire waist.

"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes," Liesl whispered, gazing at the dress with amazement. Her Fräulien would look gorgeous.

"Do you think it should be a white dress with a blue satin sash?" Maria asked excitedly.

"How would you like a white _satin _dress with a blue satin sash?" the Captain asked Maria. She looked skeptical for a moment, then said,

"That's a lot of satin." The Captain and Liesl looked at each other, and started cracking up. Maria couldn't see what was so funny.

"That's not too much satin," the Captain said after his laughter had died down. Maria still looked doubtful. "At least it's not silk," he added, catching the expression on her face. She rolled her eyes at that last comment.

"Can we go into town, Father? Please?" Liesl begged.

"Are you done with your lessons?" Lessons were always the first priority to the Captain.

"Almost," Liesl said, and sprinted off to finish.

The Captain turned to Maria. "Did you need to measure yourself again?"

"Do you think I need to?" she asked playfully.

"Absolutely not," he replied, and hugged her once again. He still couldn't get over how she felt in his arms. He felt whole, and he hadn't felt that way for a long time. The Captain didn't think he wanted to let his little Fräulien go. Finally, after a long moment, he had to release her, for propriety's sake. She smiled up at him.

"Are you _sure _you want to go shopping for a dress?" she asked.

"Utterly."

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Liesl, Maria, and the Captain had been in the dress shop for about half a minute before Maria found the perfect fabric for her dress. It was white like she wanted, light, airy, but heavy enough to keep her warm. As a dress, it would billow around her, and Liesl said that she would look like an angel in it. And to Maria's delight, it wasn't satin. Now they were trying to find a fabric suitable for the blue satin sash. Liesl was off looking at some pink fabrics, so that left Maria and the Captain to look by themselves.

"How about this one?" Maria offered, holding up a sample piece of material.

"No, too light. What about this?"

"Hmmm… It looks too…. See-through. And isn't it supposed to be satin?"

"Right…. Well what about this one then?" He held up the cloth and Maria gazed at it for a moment, trying to decide. "It matches your eyes," the Captain said, holding it up to her face. "It matches them exactly."

"Are you sure? I don't think my eyes are that blue…"

"Oh Fräulien Maria! That would be wonderful as a sash! You absolutely have to get it!" Liesl exclaimed, walking over to her father and governess, who had been standing a little closer than their employer-employee relationship allowed. Liesl smiled. She knew what was going on between those two; she knew that their 'friendship' was on the brink of a romantic relationship. She loved how happy Fräulien Maria had made her father.

"Do you really think so, Liesl?" Maria asked. She still wasn't sure.

"Oh yes! It would really bring out your eyes!"

"I'm going to have to agree on this one, Maria," the Captain broke in.

"Oh all right then, I might as well." Maria finally gave in to their urgings and took the fabrics she wanted over to the counter. She tried to pay for them, but the Captain wouldn't let her.

"Really Captain, I'm perfectly capable of paying for my own material."

"No, it's my fault you have to make a dress in the first place, I should pay."

"Captain-"

"Maria." He put his hand over her mouth to quiet her. "I am going to pay, and you are going to accept. Alright?" Maria nodded. She didn't really have a choice. "Good. Now all I want you to worry about is looking beautiful for the night of the party, which shouldn't be hard." When Maria tried to speak again, he put his hand over her mouth (again). "Oh no, you're not going to talk again, are you?" he joked, looking concerned. "We wouldn't want you to strain yourself, would we?"

"Father, you shouldn't bribe her like that, you know her temper-" Liesl was cut off by a "damn" from her father, whose hand had just been bitten by an irate Maria.

"Serves you right," she said in response to his glare. "You know me, with my temper, like Liesl said. Don't bribe me, you'll regret it."

"I think I learned that the hard way," he said, shaking his hand. She sure knew how to bite. Maria only smiled at him.

"Well, I think we're done here. Shall we go home now?" she said, walking briskly out the door.

"Ooh no you don't," Liesl exclaimed, catching her arm. "We still have to get you a proper bra."

"Liesl, really-"

"Maria, you are going to get a bra, or you won't be going to the ball at all!" The Captain's threat made Maria calm down, and she let herself be dragged all the way to the lingerie store.

"Mm, I think I'll just- uh- wait outside, okay?" The Captain looked uncomfortable even being near a store like that.

"Me too," said Maria, and tried to join him, but Liesl dragged her inside.

It took a while for them to find an appropriate bra. The first one made Maria screech, "I look like an old lady!" She wouldn't even come out of the dressing room. The second one was too lacy for her liking (she said it itched). The third one made her look, as she said, "like a hooker." The fourth one was too small, the fifth too big, the sixth too noticeable under a dress. The Captain was getting more annoyed by the minute. He had never been shopping for ladies' undergarments before, and he didn't know if he wanted too. He was beginning to wonder what was taking so long, so he decided to go check it out. Just as he was walking in the store, Maria was walking out of the dressing room in nothing but her skirt and a bra. He gave her one look, said, "Get that one," and walked out of the store again, embarrassed beyond his wits. Maria turned beet red and went back into her dressing room to get changed. She and Liesl found the Captain pacing outside the store, ready to go home.

"Er, sorry about- that-" he tried to apologize.

"It's alright, I'm sure you didn't mean to." Maria still resembled an overripe tomato.

"Still, I really must apologize, I wouldn't have gone in if I knew you were like that, but I was wondering what was taking you so long, and-"

"Father, shopping for lingerie is a very delicate process. She didn't want to look like an old lady-" the Captain raised his eyebrows at this "-but she didn't want to look like a hooker, either-" Again, the Captain looked skeptical at the thought of Maria looking like a hooker "-so we had to find a happy medium, and we did. That was the one you saw." The Captain raised his eyebrows at Maria, who said,

"Remind me to never let you take me to a ball again."

He chuckled and put his arm around her waist. "If I get another invitation, I'll just have to turn it down, then."

She smiled at him. "I'm sure you'd love that."

"Yes, actually I would, it'd give me an excuse to stay home with my seven wonderful children and their lovely governess." Maria blushed at this last statement, though not nearly as much as she had when the Captain walked in on her.

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"Captain?"

"Mmmm?"

The Captain and Maria were, once again, sitting in his study. He had kicked off his shoes and put his feet on the coffee table in front of him. Maria had leaned over so her head was on his shoulder, and he had his arm around her.

"Why do you always wear a suit?" Maria asked innocently.

The Captain laughed. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just wondering. It just makes you seem so- oh, I don't know- so formidable."

The Captain chuckled; his chest shaking so hard Maria had to lift her head off him. "Me? Formidable? Why would you say that?" he joked, wondering how Maria was going to answer.

"Well, I think it's this jacket. If you would just take it off, it'd make you seem much more approachable." As she was saying this, she was slowly working the buttons of his jacket, so before he knew it, she had taken it off and was examining him. "There, isn't that much better?" He nodded. "But I think there's something more. A tie without a jacket looks funny." She took off his tie. "And you're going to suffocate yourself if you keep your shirt buttoned up like that all the time." She unbuttoned the first four buttons of his shirt. "Now _that _is something I can live with," she said, admiring her handiwork. He really did look handsome now, with part of his chest showing and his hair looking a bit tousled. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking rather like a naughty schoolboy. She giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"You! I never thought I could get you like this." She sighed, wondering what it would be like to take his shirt off completely. Maria knew that this was already bordering on inappropriate, and to take his shirt off entirely would be crossing the line. So she sighed again and leaned against his chest, relishing in the warmth that washed over her. He engulfed her in his strong arms and let her rest her head on his shoulder.

"You know, I could get used to this," he murmured into her ear. She shivered and pulled him closer. He smiled in contentment and kissed the back of her neck. She shivered again. Hey, if she could torment him like this, then it was only fair that he torture her back, right?

Maria took her hand from around his neck and rested it on the open V of his shirt. She really wanted to undo a few more buttons. Giving in to temptation, she clumsily unfastened the buttons one-handedly. Tracing patterns up and down his bare chest, she sighed. She never knew a man could affect her like this.

Apparently, the man wasn't only affecting the woman. Maria was affecting the Captain in ways he had never even dreamed of. He groaned as he felt her tugging on the buttons of his shirt. "Maria," he growled, "Don't." She didn't listen to him. Instead, she undid his shirt completely, and slid it off his shoulders seductively. She smiled at the sight of his bare upper body, her eyes taking in his tanned skin, his strong muscles flexing as he tried to retrieve his shirt. She only smiled and tossed it behind the couch, where he couldn't reach it.

"Terribly sorry, Captain, but I'm afraid that I like you much better without a shirt than with one," she murmured, leaning in to him again. He didn't even try to restrain himself; he just gathered her small frame to his larger one and sat there in contentment, the woman of his dreams drawing invisible patterns on his skin as he kissed the top of her head.

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Read and Review please!


	2. The Ball part one

Ok here's the next chapter, pretty quick update (for me) but that's what happens when you've got a good motivator! Thanks! You know who you are….

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"How long does it take women to get ready? Really, she's been up there for_ever,_" Kurt whined, fidgeting around. He, his brother, and his father were all waiting in the foyer. You can guess who they were waiting for.

"Kurt, I wouldn't say that around a female, just in case." The Captain had enough experience with women to know why they needed a long time to get ready.

"Father-"

"Kurt, just be patient, alright?" The Captain was just as impatient as Kurt. He wanted to see what Maria looked like in her dress.

"I just don't see what takes them so long," Kurt complained.

"Shh," warned his brother, hearing footsteps and squeals from the hallway above. They heard a door open and Louisa stepped forward to the front of the stairs.

"Presenting: the one, the only, the beautiful; Fräulien Maria!" She announced, and stepped back. The rest of the girls pushed someone forward, and she began her descent down the stairs.

The Captain couldn't believe his eyes. Yes, it was Maria, but it didn't look like her. The tomboyish governess was gone, and in its place was an elegant lady. Maria looked like a princess as she met him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Maria, you look very pretty tonight." She blushed. "Did I say pretty? I meant lovely. Beautiful. Stunning. Captivating. Dazzling. Gorgeous. Intoxicating," he finished, kissing her hand. And she certainly did look intoxicating. The simple design for her dress would look plain on anyone but her. The flowing material showed off her every curve, and she looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her. And Liesl had done a very nice job picking out a bra for her.

"Thank you, Captain. You don't look too bad yourself," she said, eyeing him. She leaned close to him and whispered in his ear, "Although I must say, I prefer you without the shirt."

"I know darling, I know." He gave her a half-smile and offered her his arm. She accepted, weaving her own through his.

"Now children, be good for your Uncle Max. And Liesl, I'm putting you in control."

"You don't trust me?" Max scoffed, coming out from the Captain's study, where he had been making a phone call.

"Not at all, Max," Maria said, smiling at him.

"I'm ashamed that such a lovely lady wouldn't trust me with her charges," he replied, kissing her hand.

"Since when am I a lovely lady?" Maria asked, surprised at all the compliments she was getting, first from the girls, then from the Captain (who was the one she really wanted to impress), and now from Max.

"Since you wear that dress, put on a little make-up, wear heels, and actually act like a lady," the Captain said, telling the truth. Ordinarily she looked young, hardly older than Liesl, but now she looked older than her 24 years. And the make-up really did something for her. It wasn't caked on like Elsa's, but put on sparingly, a touch of eyeliner here, some eye shadow there, a bit of lipstick tinting her lips. The heels, well, he liked it when she was shorter than him, but it was nice to only have to look down a little at her. And they might come in handy if… But he shouldn't be thinking that. Not now, not with Max and his children present. The Captain found himself being dragged along to the door by Maria, who was calling back to the children, "Don't stay up too late! Max, get them in bed by one!"

"But Fräulien Maria, can't we stay up until midnight, like we used to?" Louisa begged.

"Yes darling, that's why I said you had to be in bed by one."

"Thank you Fräulien Maria!" Louisa exclaimed, rushing over to give her governess one last hug before the new year.

"You're very welcome," Maria replied, chuckling. "And I expect you all to sleep in tomorrow, because I don't want any crabby children hanging about."

"Don't worry about them, Maria, just enjoy yourself tonight. Have fun, you two!" Max called, shutting the door behind him.

"Well at least _he'll_ miss us," the Captain said sardonically. Maria laughed. He loved making her laugh.

"I certainly hope they're not grumpy tomorrow, especially the little ones. Gretl has quite a temper when she's sleep-deprived."

"Wonder where she got that from."

"You, I suppose."

He scoffed. "And you'll be the one dealing with them tomorrow, I'm sure."

"Exactly, that's why I want them to sleep in." The Captain chuckled at this. She could always make him laugh. He opened the car door for her.

"M'lady," he said, offering his hand.

"Thank you, kind sir," she giggled, using the proffered hand as a means to help get herself in the car. The Captain shut the door behind her and walked around to the driver's side. He got in and they set off for the ball.

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"Are you sure they'll accept the fact that you're bringing your governess to a ball?" Maria asked skeptically as they walked toward the Weimer's villa.

"Absolutely sure. And I'm also absolutely sure that they'll love you."

"What's Josef's wife's name again?"

"Anna, darling, Anna Weimer."

"Let's see if I can remember half the people you introduce me to by the end of the night." The Captain laughed at Maria's statement. He hadn't seen some of these people for a while, so it would be a test for him to remember them, too.

"Now remember, Josef and Anna have a son named Jakob."

"How old is he again?"

"Seventeen, I believe."

"We should've brought Liesl along." The Captain laughed again. He didn't really want his daughter dating just yet.

"Captain?"

"Yes darling?"

"Why do you keep calling me 'darling'?"

"You know, I've been wondering the same thing."

Maria laughed. "I've been wondering, is it just a term of endearment, or is there some meaning to it?"

"It's a term that shows that you're my friend, darling."

"Well, don't let people get the wrong idea about us."

"I won't, don't you worry your pretty head about it."

"And don't talk like that, either."

"Since when do _you_ order _me _around?"

"Since you let me. So ha." The Captain had to laugh to himself at Maria's statement. True, he had let himself be bossed around by her.

"Is that them?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, it's them," he replied. Josef and Anna were standing in the doorway, welcoming their guests.

"Georg!" Josef suddenly cried, catching sight of the Captain.

"Josef, how good to see you again!" The two men shook hands firmly.

"I haven't seen you for ages! You look happier, somehow."

"All thanks to this young lady here."

"This must be the fabulous Maria I've been hearing about! Honestly Georg, you said she was pretty, but I wasn't expecting _this_!" Josef exclaimed, catching one of Maria's hands in his own and kissing it.

"Now really Josef, don't get overly excited," his wife Anna said from beside him. "Georg, it's nice to see you smile again. You must be Maria," she smiled, extending her hand. Maria shook it.

"It's so nice to meet you, Frau Weimer."

"Oh please, call me Anna."

"Well, then it's nice to meet you, Anna."

"It's nice to meet the woman who brought a smile back to my favorite sea Captain's face," Anna said, smiling at Maria, who couldn't help but smile back. The woman's kind face and gentle manner soothed her nerves a bit.

The Captain and Josef were conversing loudly over who was a better seaman, the Captain (who actually was a Captain), or Josef, who had only been promoted to Lieutenant-Commander.

"Boys, boys, boys!" Anna finally got them to quiet down. "Now is really not the time. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll introduce Maria to all the drunken idiots you invited."

"Are they really drunken idiots?" Maria asked nervously as they walked away from the quarreling men.

"No, they just were when they were in the Navy, so I consider it my duty to remind them about it as much as possible." Anna smiled.

"Oh," Maria said, hoping the Captain wasn't one of the drunken idiots she was talking about. Anna was growing on her. At first she had been afraid that she would be uncomfortable at the ball, because she didn't know anyone. But Anna was doing her best to make her feel at home.

"Oh Maria, you must meet my son Jakob. Jakob, come over here!" A young man who certainly didn't look seventeen walked over from where he had been chatting with some Navy men.

"But of course, Mother," he said as he approached. "And who is this lovely lady whom I absolutely must have the honor of meeting?"

"Maria Rainer," Maria said, smiling shyly at him.

"Jakob Weimer," he said, seizing her hand and kissing it. She smiled more widely. "Are you here with anyone?" he asked, looking around.

"Yes," she replied, noticing his disappointed look.

"Then I'll have to steal you away for a dance before he does," Jakob declared, looking utterly serious. Maria giggled. "Who are you here with, then?"

"Captain von Trapp."

"You mean the famous Georg von Trapp that my father can't seem to stop talking about?" he exclaimed. Maria noticed that he was still holding her hand, and she gently drew it away.

"The one and only," she said, grinning. He looked jealous.

"Isn't he a bit old for you?" he inquired, staring her up and down as if he couldn't believe anyone who looked so young could go to a ball with a 40-year-old man.

"We're not like _that,_" Maria explained. "He just brought me as a friend."

"You look like a bit more than _friends _to me," Anna muttered.

"Oh ho, so you think they should get together," Jakob smirked, turning to his mother.

"I didn't say that, but…"

"But what? Hmm? You know you can trust your son."

"I just think they'd make a cute couple…"

"Excuse me?" Maria broke in, curious as to why Anna thought they'd make a cute couple.

"Well he couldn't exactly keep his eyes off you, now could he?" Anna raised her eyebrows at Maria.

"I can see why," Jakob said, now turning to Maria and examining her.

"And you looked so happy together," Anna continued. "Like you should be together for the rest of your lives."

"I'm afraid I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Maria said, half-turning away.

"I think you do," Anna taunted.

"I don't think so," Maria said in a sing-song voice.

"Maria?" The Captain's words from behind her caused her to realize why Jakob had been smiling.

"Hello Captain," he said, offering his hand. The Captain shook it.

"You've grown since the last time I saw you, Jakob," he stated, looking the boy up and down.

"I'm not twelve anymore, sir." Everyone laughed at this announcement.

"Still, you hardly look seventeen."

"I pride myself on it." Everyone laughed again. Maria got the impression that Jakob liked to make people laugh. To further validate her thoughts, the Captain said,

"You always have been quite the comedian."

"It's my unofficial job. It's so I can support the woman I marry," he declared, looking pointedly at Maria.

"Now don't you go stealing away my Maria," the Captain joked, putting his arm around her waist. Anna looked at them with a smirk and raised her eyebrows at Maria, who blushed.

"I'm not _yours, _Captain," she said, hoping Jakob and Anna wouldn't get the wrong impression.

"No, I think the children have already claimed you as their own."

Maria smiled at him. "They certainly have."

Jakob turned toward the ballroom doors, where a string quartet had started playing a lively waltz. "Care to join me, Maria?" he asked, extending his hand.

"Oh! I- well I-" She looked at the Captain for help.

"Go on, I won't hold it against you," he said, smiling. She beamed at him and slid her hand into Jakob's. He led her to the ballroom, talking gaily about nothing.

"You're a very lucky man to get a woman like her, Georg," Anna declared, staring after her son and Maria.

"What are you saying?" he asked, looking at her.

"Isn't it obvious? I think even Jakob noticed it. You're in love with her, and she with you," Anna said, happy that Georg could find love again after Agathe died.

"Who says I'm in love with her?" he laughed. Really, why would Maria ever be in love with him?

"I do. And it's painfully obvious, even from just seeing you together for a moment," Josef said, coming up from behind them. Georg spun around to face him with his hands on his hips.

"Why is it that everyone thinks I'm in love with Maria? Really, she's just a friend. _And _she's my employee. It would be entirely inappropriate," he said loudly. But it was true; even _he_ knew he was in love with Maria. And she was more than a friend… at least he _wanted_ her to be more than a friend. But would she accept him? Would she be ready to cross the line between friendship and romance? He couldn't help remembering that she had wanted to be a nun. Nuns couldn't love. But she had quit the novitiate. Why though? Because she was in love, and nuns couldn't love? Was she in love with him, like Anna said? He hoped she was. He knew he was in love with her, and she might be in love with him. There was only the slight problem of telling her his feelings….

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"Jakob, you really are too much," Maria laughed after Jakob had made another funny statement.

"I think you're too much, laughing at the slightest thing," he replied, looking at her with a smile.

"I do not!"

"Yes you do!"

"Okay well maybe I do, but it's only because I'm in a good mood."

"And why would that be? Because you're with me?"

"Don't think _too_ highly of yourself."

"Would you mind if I cut in?" the Captain asked, coming up behind Jakob and tapping him on the shoulder.

"Yes, actually, I would mind, but I suppose you can have her for a few dances," Jakob said regretfully. "Until next time, Maria."

"I'll see you around, then," she said, smiling at him.

"See you around." Jakob left Maria and the Captain to their first dance of the night.

"You know, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've danced with you," the Captain said after a few moments.

"No, we danced the Laendler together, remember?" Maria corrected him. How could he forget? She would remember that night for the rest of her life…

"That doesn't count, we never finished."

"Maybe they'll play it again tonight."

"Will you remember this time?"

"I think I might."

The rest of the dance passed in relative silence. As a new song started, another man cut in. The Captain didn't have a chance to dance with Maria for a few songs, so he entertained himself by talking with other Navy friends and dancing with their wives. He finally excused himself from a conversation with a fellow Captain and went to join Maria, who had been standing off to the side for a few seconds.

"No one to dance with?" he asked, walking over to her.

"Yes, that and I'm getting a bit tired. I don't suppose I'm used to dancing," she said, smiling at him. He noticed that the flush on her cheeks was very attractive…

"Would you care to dance with me?" he invited, holding out his hand and hoping very much that she would take it.

"I'd be delighted."

They danced a few dances together, and then the Weimer's butler announced that it was time for dinner. They joined the other couples in the formal dining room. The Captain and Maria had been placed by Josef, Anna, and Jakob, near the head of the table. Maria went to pull out her chair, but the Captain stopped her.

"Allow me," he said, pulling it out. She smiled at him and sat down while he pushed her in. "I don't suppose you've ever been to a fancy dinner before?"

"No, you don't get many fancy dinners when you're raised on a farm. I have a feeling that I'll mess up somehow," she sighed, looking around at all the finely dressed ladies and men. She felt uncomfortable. All of the Captain's naval friends were married, and so was he, even if his wife had passed away. She felt some obligation to let people know that they weren't a couple. Although that would be nice…

"You have impeccable manners, I'm sure you'll be wonderful," he assured her, taking his place next to her. She beamed at him and turned towards Jakob, who was sitting across from her.

"So Jakob, dance with anyone else tonight?" she asked.

"Yes, but nobody was as good as you." She laughed.

"Oh, I haven't danced in ages! I thought I'd be terrible!"

"I don't get the impression that you'd be terrible at anything, Maria," the Captain said, half jealous that she was talking to Jakob and not him.

"I don't suppose you've seen me cook, then." Everyone laughed, including Josef and Anna, who had been listening to the conversation.

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Dinner had passed, and now everyone was back on the dance floor. Maria and the Captain had danced a few songs together, much to the Captain's delight. Even though she said she hadn't danced since her father died when she was 10, Maria was still a wonderful dancer. The song they had been dancing to ended and the musicians started up a slow song. Maria looked around at all the other dancing couples and tried to imitate them.

"Just put your hands on my shoulders," the Captain instructed, putting both his hands around her waist.

"It just seems so impersonal. We're friends, right?"

"I would certainly hope so."

"So we can dance more personally, right?"

"I don't see why not."

"Then you wouldn't mind me doing this?" she speculated, and moved her arms from on his shoulders to around his neck.

"You know, it seems like you're about to kiss me," he stated. Her face was much to close to his for her own good.

"Would you like me to?" she teased. Actually she would like to kiss him very much.

"I wouldn't complain if you did," he said, staring at her intensely. She smiled and pecked him on the cheek.

"Happy?" she asked him, pulling away a bit.

"I suppose that's all I'm going to get…"

"You've certainly got that right." They danced in silence for a few more moments, until Maria said, "I'm really getting tired of this. Isn't there another way to dance a slow song?" Then her eyes lit up and she removed her hands.

"What are you doing?" Georg asked, then choked on his breath as he felt her arms encircle his chest. She nestled her head into his shoulder and sighed.

"Isn't that better?" she asked in a faint voice.

"Much."

Anna and Josef, who had been dancing next to the couple, smiled at each other. Then Anna mimicked Maria by putting her arms around Josef and hugging him tightly.

"I think I should be glad for them, instead of just relishing the way you feel in my arms," Josef said, holding her tightly to him.

"You can do both, can't you?" Anna asked, giving the happy couple one last glance before kissing her husband.

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I gave them a slow song! Are you happy now? Please review to tell me your opinion!


	3. The Ball part two

Yeah so here's chapter three… tell me how you like it!

Ok, so the last chapter ended with a slow song, so this one will start with the end of the aforementioned slow song. They're not going to get together in the car; it will be at the ball, that's the whole purpose of there actually being a ball…. I hope you enjoy, and sorry for not getting this up sooner, that's what happens when you've got two stories in the works and a co-author who doesn't follow guidelines and gets a story taken off so you can't update!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Sound of Music. That would be 20th Century Fox (lucky them!)

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Maria had her head buried in the Captain's chest. "Captain?" she asked suddenly, lifting her head up to his.

"Yes?"

"Do you wear cologne?"

He had to chuckle at her question. "Yes, I do."

"Oh. I like it," Maria said, laying her head on his shoulder and sighing. The Captain smiled in contentment. At least she liked his cologne, even if she had grumbled about his taste in ties.

The song ended a few minutes later, and the dancing couples separated to a waltzing position. However, Maria and the Captain remained quite close. He couldn't keep himself from holding her closer than needed. Anna noticed this, and pointed it out to her husband.

"Look at them," she murmured, gesturing towards Maria and the Captain.

"I don't know if I've ever seen two people who aren't a couple so obviously in love," he whispered into her ear.

"What?" Anna giggled, looking up at Josef. He really could be confusing sometimes.

"I mean, look at them! They're not together -yet- but they're so obviously in love! Do you think we should try to get them together?"

"Of course! It should be fun!" Anna exclaimed, and went off to conspire with some of the other Navy wives.

OOOO

Maria and the Captain were dancing another, faster paced, song. The Captain was holding Maria much closer than before, and she noticed. However, she did nothing to move away. Instead, she relished in being near him. When the dance ended, the string quartet started playing a tango.

"Are they really playing a tango?" Maria asked, giggling.

"I believe so," the Captain said, remembering the last time he had danced a tango.

"Have you ever danced a tango?" Maria inquired, curious. She knew he had spent a lot of time in the Navy, so he surly must have gone to Spain.

"As a matter of fact, I have." The Captain had to add more after receiving Maria's questioning glance. "When my ship docked in Barcelona, the rest of the crew and I went to a bar, and… do you really want to know?" He was a little uncomfortable telling her about all the things he had done as a sailor.

"Are you telling her about the time we went to that bar with those Spanish sailors? Remember the look on Heinrich's face when-" Josef tried to say, but Anna stopped him.

"Spare her ears, Josef. No one in their right mind wants to hear about your little- uh- escapades from while you were in the Navy." Anna looked disapproving.

"What did you do?" Maria asked, her curiosity heightened.

"We tangoed," the Captain said simply, sparing her the details. Maria raised her eyebrows, not believing him. "Alright, so it was a bit more than tangoing, but-"

"I don't think I even want to know," Maria cut in, although she was quite interested to hear about his days in the Navy.

"You most certainly don't. Believe me; Josef and Georg were quite the troublemakers when they were sailors," Anna said, smiling slightly.

"What did you do?" Maria asked again, her interest aroused even more, looking from Josef to the man she was dancing with (the Captain). Even though she had said she didn't want to know; now she did.

"Things we would never dream of doing now," the Captain said, getting a far-off, regretful look in his eyes.

"Especially those of us who can do that anytime we want, at a higher quality than before," Josef said, grinning at his wife.

"Higher quality?" Anna inquired playfully, moving closer to him.

"Much," he replied, and bent down to kiss her.

Maria looked at the Captain again. "I don't think I know quite what you did," she said, pretending very well to be innocent and naïve.

"Oh, I don't know. I don't think I should tell you," the Captain said, not realizing that she was joking.

"Please? It would make me happy," Maria pouted, doing her best puppy-dog eyes. She knew the Captain could never resist Gretl when she did that, so why not her?

"Don't you do the puppy eyes on me, too," he warned, not sure whether to tell her or not. She might think badly of him, but then again she might think the whole thing was funny.

"Pleeeeeeeeeease?" Maria begged, coming even closer and looking nearly straight up at his face. Her eyes were starting to water.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes!"

"I did some bad things."

"I realized that, but what, exactly, did you do?"

"I tangoed."

"You already told me that."

"In bed."

"Oh," Maria said, realization dawning on her. Of course that was what she had thought, but she needed confirmation from the Captain before she could jump to any conclusions.

"But I would never dream of seeking that now," the Captain added hastily, catching the look on her face. She looked disapproving.

"What did Agathe think of that?" she asked, turning her eyes back to him.

"She wasn't exactly happy about it, but she accepted the fact that I was young, drunk, and under the influence of other sailors."

"Hmmm." Maria still wasn't happy with the idea of her beloved Sea Captain sleeping with someone other than his wife.

"Did you think any less of me?" he asked quietly, wanting to know her opinion of him.

"I think I had a premonition about it, I mean what sailor _doesn't _go out seeking enjoyment once in a while?"

"The sober ones."

"Are you telling me that you were inebriated?"

"I already did."

Maria giggled. "I think it would be funny to see you drunk."

"Have _you_ ever been drunk?"

"How can you get drunk if you don't drink?"

"Sometimes you act drunk."

"The only thing I get drunk off is happiness."

"I wouldn't call that drunk."

"Then what would you call it?"

"High."

Maria giggled once again. Sure, she could be gregarious and hyper, but _high? _It was quite funny.

"What's so funny?" the Captain asked, staring deep into her eyes. He loved making her laugh, and was glad she didn't think badly of him for what he had done.

"You!" she exclaimed, grinning up at him.

"What's so funny about me?"

"I don't know… just the way you are. You make me laugh," she said simply, gazing at him with a look of adoration.

He liked the way she was looking at him. Maybe there was a bit of love in her eyes… but no, it couldn't be. She could never love someone like him.

A waltz began playing again and Maria and the Captain realized that they had been standing there the whole time.

"Well," she breathed, looking everywhere but him, "Finally they play something I know how to dance to."

"If you wanted, you could probably tango," he stated.

"I don't think so," she said, looking apprehensive.

"Come on, it's easy. Here, let me teach you. First, just step forward with your left foot. Good. Now pass your right foot over your left foot. No, to the side, like this. Yes, now you've got it. Now do the same thing with your left foot. Good! Step back with your-uh- right foot and cross your left in front and to the side again. See, you're doing it! Now step back on your right again, pass the left foot over and to the side, now pivot on your right foot. To the left, not right. Now put your right foot close to your left, and repeat."

The couple ended up doing the steps to the tango a few times, faster each time. Finally they had to stop when the steps got too fast for them. Maria broke down giggling and had to hide her face in the Captain's chest to compose herself. When she finally stopped laughing, she hugged the Captain tightly and then pulled away.

"I don't see what's so funny," he said, looking at her like she was crazy (which she most likely was).

"The fact that we were doing a tango while they were playing a waltz!" Maria exclaimed, and started laughing again.

The Captain walked away from her to the terrace so he could have room to breathe, leaving her all alone. But not for long, seeing as Jakob approached her moments later.

"May I have this dance?" he asked with a sweeping bow.

"I'd be delighted, young man," Maria replied, curtsying and giggling some more.

OOOO

The Captain stood on the terrace, lost in his thoughts. He could hear the waltz playing from inside the ballroom, could see the dancing couples, could see the grin on Maria's face as her partner spun her around, could hear her laugh as Jakob nearly tripped over his own feet. He remembered the way she had felt in his arms, the way her body shook when she laughed into his chest, the smell of her perfume when she was close to him, the way she tangoed… He reminisced about all the balls he had gone to with Agathe, and decided that he was having as good a time as he ever had, if not better.

His thoughts were interrupted when someone came out to join him.

"Thinking about Maria?" Josef asked from beside him, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Georg didn't reply, but by the look on his face and the way his eyes lit up whenever anyone mentioned Maria, he was. "It's not a crime to be in love with someone, Georg," he said softly.

"I don't want to ruin her reputation," the Captain growled, thoroughly annoyed that he couldn't tell her how he felt.

"It wouldn't be ruined, Georg. Everyone here knows how you feel about her, and they know you have honorable intentions."

"What about everyone else? What would _they _say? What would the children say? I know they love her, but…"

"Georg, just tell her, and everything will work itself out. I promise you that," Josef said, and joined his wife in the ballroom.

Georg was left with his thoughts about Maria. _Damn propriety and damn awkwardness, _he thought. Why couldn't the class barriers be crossed? Why couldn't he just tell her how he felt without risking humiliation? What if she didn't feel the same way? He didn't think he could cope with another heartbreak.

His thoughts were once again interrupted when the woman consuming them came out to join him. She didn't say a word, just stood beside him.

"It's a beautiful night," she declared after a few moments, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between them.

"Yes, it is beautiful, isn't it?" he said, turning to look at her. He wasn't sure if he was talking about the night or her. She only smiled.

"Captain?" she said after a moment, turning towards him again.

"Yes?" he asked, looking at her. She gasped inaudibly. The way he was looking into her eyes was intoxicating. She felt like he could see right through her, see all the feelings she kept hidden inside, see how she felt about him, see how desperately she wanted him, how she wanted to be close to him again, to feel his lips on hers, his arms around her, his deep voice murmuring sweet nothings in her ear. She wanted Him. Just to be loved by him. Finally she came back to reality and realized that she had been staring into his eyes for a long time. She tried to remember what had been going on, unsuccessfully.

"Maria?" he said, looking at her concernedly. She shook herself out of her trance and tried to answer him.

"I-" she started, but was cut off by a voice from inside the ballroom.

"Attention ladies and drunken idiots!" Anna's voice rang through the room. Some of the women laughed, while the men scowled.

"Can I have your attention please!" she called again. Maria and the Captain looked at each other, then joined the rest of the guests in the ballroom.

"I would like to make an announcement!" Anna cried, making all the muttering stop.

"As you all know, tonight is New Year's Eve, and I would like to call your attention to the clock. There are only two minutes left until the New Year! So everyone pay attention to the time, and give your significant other the first kiss of the New Year!" Anna proclaimed, looking directly at Maria and Georg.

Maria was thinking. Thinking about how happy she would be if she could kiss the Captain next year. Well, she would be happy if she could kiss him, period.

The Captain's thoughts were along the same lines as Maria's, but he wanted more than to just kiss her. He wanted to hold her, to feel her heartbeat, to touch her in ways no man had ever touched her before and overall, to love her. He also wanted her to love him back. But that was obvious.

Everyone was talking amongst themselves, and Jakob was approaching the couple.

"Hello," he said cheerfully when he reached them.

"Hello Jakob," Maria replied with a smile. The Captain didn't say anything, just grumbled a "hmmgh" in response to Jakob's cheeriness. Georg could tell that the 17-year-old was flirting with Maria, and he didn't like it.

"I was wondering, Maria," he started, smiling at her. "Would you do me the honor of giving me the first kiss of the New Year?"

"Oh! Oh, Jakob, I-" she looked over to the Captain for help. He was giving Jakob a death glare.

"I know when I'm being refused," Jakob said, looking fearfully at the Captain and backing away to go talk to his parents.

"Yes, you were right Mother, the Captain is _very _overly protective of Maria," he whispered when he reached them.

"Told you," Anna said, looking pointedly at her husband.

"Hmmm," Josef said, and looked away. Anna only laughed.

Meanwhile, Maria was trying to engage the Captain in conversation. She didn't like it when he was silent and brooding, like he was now.

"So Captain, how-"

She was interrupted by Anna's loud voice once more.

"Okay everyone, there's twenty seconds left! Let's count down the seconds until the 1939!" she exclaimed, and started the counting. "Eighteen! Seventeen! Sixteen!"

Maria joyfully included her voice to the others that were counting down. "Fifteen! Fourteen! Come on Captain, count! Twelve! Eleven!"

"Ten," the Captain murmured.

"Nine!" everyone yelled in unison.

"Eight!"

"Seven!"

"Six!"

"Get ready, now!"

"Five!"

"Four!" Maria's sweet voice seemed to drown out all the others.

"Three! Come ON Captain!"

"Two." He let his voice be heard by Maria, and Maria alone.

"ONE!" A surge of energy ran through the crowd.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" everyone shouted at the same time.

Maria turned, grinning, to face the Captain.

"Happy new year, Cap- mph-"

He had made a last-minute (well second, really) decision to kiss her. Her lips were warm and soft under his, and he could feel her shock at his actions. He pulled away after a moment, not wanting her to get _too _freaked out.

"Happy new year, Fräulien," he said in a much lower octave than his usual voice. She was staring at him with a look of utter disbelief on her face. He backed away, giving her space, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. He was turning around, all hope lost, when he heard her soft voice come from behind him

"Happy new year, Captain," she nearly whispered, a small smile gracing her features. He took this as an invitation, and came back to kiss her again.

Time seemed to stop for the couple. Maria felt like the happiest woman in the world as the man of her dreams kissed her. The world seemed to revolve around them, and she felt a strange swooping sensation in her stomach. The feelings she had kept hidden for so long were making their way to the surface, and as he kissed her, she realized that she was complete. Craving for more, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He groaned and put his arms around her waist, so that their bodies were pressed against each other, warm with the heat of their love.

Anna broke away from her kiss with Josef and gestured to Maria and Georg. "Look at them, together at last," she sighed. Josef was happy for his old Navy comrade, but he wasn't willing to let Anna go congratulate the couple just yet.

"Let them have a moment," he said, and grinned when he saw the reactions of the people around Georg and Maria. They were staring at the couple, mouths agape, but some of them looked genuinely happy for them.

Maria finally pulled away from the Captain. She couldn't tell whether her dizziness was due to his kiss or the lack of oxygen. She smiled at him and he gave her a small kiss on the forehead.

"I take it you didn't mind that," he murmured in her ear, just as she had imagined.

"Not at all," she breathed, getting shivers down her spine from his warm breath on her ear.

"Then you wouldn't mind if I told you that I was madly in love with you?" His eyes were searching hers desperately for an answer.

"I would mind if you didn't." She smiled and leaned up to kiss him again. "And I would also mind if I couldn't tell you that I love you, too."

His face brightened at her words and he leant down to capture her lips once more.

"I love you, Captain," she whispered when he pulled away.

"I love you too, Maria."

The couple shared another sweet kiss, but Maria pulled back when she heard the song the musicians had started playing. They smiled at each other.

"Do you think you'll remember it all this time?" he asked her playfully.

"I don't know… I don't suppose I'm used to dancing," she giggled, and they danced the Laendler all the way to the end this time.

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Well I thought it was fairly good at least, but I don't know what you guys think until you read it, so please do! And review of course!


	4. The end

This is the last chapter.

OOOOOOO

At the von Trapp villa

"Maria? Fräulien? Maria? MOTHER! Mummy! Maria! Please!"

Marta sighed and buried her head in her pillow again, trying to drown out Gretl's cries for help. That was the worst thing about sharing a bedroom with her younger sister: the nightmares.

"MARIA!" Gretl shrieked again. Marta covered her head with her pillow and fell asleep, used to her sister's late night dreams.

"Maria?" Gretl's voice had quieted now that she was awake. She sat up in bed, wondering why her Fräulien hadn't answered her calls. She looked over at Marta's bed. Her older sister was sleeping soundly. Gretl slowly got out of bed, trying not to wake her. She tiptoed over to the door and closed it softly. Running down the hall towards Liesl's room, Gretl wondered if Maria and her father were still at the ball. They should be home by now. It was nearly four o'clock in the morning.

"Liesl?" Gretl whispered upon entering her older sister's room. "Liesl!" she said again, louder this time, bounding over to her bed and shaking her. Liesl groaned and rolled over to face the wall. "Liesl!" Gretl nearly shouted in her ear. Liesl gave a small cry and sat straight up in bed, looking around with a startled look on her face.

"What's going on? Maria? Gretl?" Liesl looked confused. "What's wrong, Gretl?"

"I had a nightmare, and Maria didn't come when I called her! She always comes! I don't know what's wrong? Did I do something? Is she mad at me?" The little girl's face looked fearful. She didn't want her governess to be mad.

"I suppose she's asleep and didn't hear you, Gretl. Do you really want to disturb her? I'm here, you know." Liesl's voice was quiet and soothing. She had lots of experience comforting her younger siblings.

"I want Fräulien Maria!" Gretl sobbed.

"Alright, I guess we can go see her. Come on." Liesl got out of bed and caught one of Gretl's hands in hers. She led her sister to their governess's room. "Knock, Gretl, knock," Liesl cautioned, grabbing Gretl's hand before she could open the door. Gretl knocked. There was no answer. She knocked again. Then, ignoring Liesl's warning, she flew into Maria's room.

"Fräulien Maria?" she whispered, noticing that the bed was made and there was no sign of her governess anywhere. "Fräulien Maria?" she said again, louder this time. Still no answer. "Maria!" she cried, desperate for her governess.

"I don't think she's here, Gretl," Liesl said softly. She didn't want to wake her other siblings, too.

"But it's four o'clock! She has to be here!" Gretl cried. "Maybe Father knows where she is!" Gretl ran out of the room and down the hall towards where her father slept. Forgetting to knock on his door, too, she burst into the room, only to find no trace of her father. "Father!" she cried, startled to find him gone. "Liesl, he's not here either!"

"Gretl, really, you're a big girl, do you really need Fräulien Maria or Father?" Liesl said tiredly. She loved her sister, but this was a little much.

"Yes! Hey! I know! Maybe he's in his study! Let's go!" Gretl grabbed her older sister's hand and dragged her all the way downstairs to their father's study. A thin strip of light was visible from under the door. "Told you!" Gretl whispered, knocking on the door. No one answered. She opened the door slowly, peeking inside the room.

"Father?" Liesl whispered, poking her head in the door. A large shape on the couch in front of the fire caught her eye. "Father?" she whispered again, entering the room with Gretl behind her.

Liesl slowly approached the couch. Somehow, it didn't seem her father could be the only one on the couch. Her breath caught in her throat as the whole piece of furniture came into view. It wasn't just her father. Maria was curled up beside him, her head resting on his chest, his arms around her, and they were both fast asleep.

"Father? Fräulien Maria?" Gretl gasped, mouth agape, staring at her governess and father with a look of utter confusion on her face. "Liesl? Do you think they fell asleep like that?" she asked, her face still confused.

Liesl sighed. Her sister was too young to understand. "I'm sure they were just tired, Gretl." Liesl sighed again. She was sure there was something going on between her father and Fräulien Maria, but she wasn't expecting _this. _At least they weren't _sleeping _sleeping together.

"Father!" Gretl ran over to her father and stood looking at him expectantly. "Fräulien Maria! Wake up!"

"Gretl, no!" Liesl warned, but it was too late. Her sister had started shaking her father and governess.

"Father! Maria! Wake up!" Maria groaned and moved about slowly.

"Maria! Wake up!"

Maria's eyes opened groggily, but she closed them the next second, murmuring "five more minutes…"

"Father! Maria! Please get up!" Gretl cried, shaking her governess harder.

Maria groaned again and opened one eye, looking rather like an owl. "Gretl? Liesl? What's going on?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

"You and Father fell asleep together, Fräulien Maria! I had a nightmare and you didn't come! I was scared!" Gretl said tearfully.

"We WHAT?" Maria shrieked, jumping up from the couch and looking around. Her eyes found the Captain on the couch, sleeping soundly. "Oh dear Lord…" she murmured.

"I had a nightmare!" Gretl cried.

"I'm so sorry, dear." Maria pulled the girl into a comforting hug.

"Maria?" Liesl said gently. Maria turned around to face her.

"Yes Liesl?"

"Would you like me to take Gretl back to bed?"

"No." She shook her head. "Let me do it. We should all be going to sleep," she said, looking around at the still sleeping Captain. "Why don't you two go upstairs and get in bed, I'll be up in a minute. I have to wake your father.'

"Alright." Liesl guided her sister out of the room, but sent her upstairs by herself. She wanted to investigate what was going on between her father and Fräulien Maria.

"Georg," Maria whispered, bending over him and shaking him slightly. "Georg." Liesl was slightly alarmed by Maria's use of his first name.

"Hmrumph mmgh mmm."

"Georg," Maria giggled. "Darling, wake up."

Darling?

"Lemmelone."

"No. You have to get up. Please," she said, shaking him harder.

"Prince Charming can't get up until Sleeping Beauty gives him a kiss," he joked, fully awake now, but with his eyes still closed.

"Isn't it the other way around?" Maria giggled.

"Just kiss me, you fool."

"Mmmm." She bent down to kiss him fully on the lips. Outside the room, Liesl gasped.

"Much better," Georg said, opening his eyes to find his beloved hovering above him, hoping for another kiss.

"You'll never guess what happened," Maria said a moment later, sitting down beside him, all hopes of kissing lost.

"What?" he asked, turning towards her and gathering her in his arms. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling the scent that was her. Liesl smiled.

"We fell asleep together."

"Just like I've always longed to."

"Georg."

"I'm a man, what do you expect?"

"Oh, I don't know… Anyways, Liesl and Gretl found us together. Thankfully, Gretl accepted the excuse of our just falling asleep, but I think we'll have to have a talk with Liesl. And the rest of the children too."

"Tomorrow," Georg murmured into her hair.

"What do you think they'll say?" Maria asked, turning into him and placing her hands on his upper arms. He shifted so she was lying half on him with her arms around him and her chin resting on his chest. Liesl watched these actions with a half smile, half grimace on her face. Their romance might be ideal, but that didn't mean she enjoyed watching this sappy affectionate stuff.

"I think they'll be happy. They love you," he said, looking at her with utmost adoration on his face.

"As their governess. But what will they think about their governess marrying their father?"

Again, Liesl gasped, but this time it was an excited gasp. Married? She certainly hoped the wedding would be soon! She loved Fräulien Maria as a mother already. And Maria had brought happiness back to their home. What would everyone's reaction be when she stayed forever? As their mother?

"They'd never forgive me if I didn't marry you," Georg said, looking at her with a smile.

"Neither would I."

He chuckled. "And I wouldn't forgive myself for losing such a wonderful woman."

"Now really, Georg," she said, squirming around in his grasp. He let her get comfortable, then lifted her chin up to his face with his index finger.

"Have I ever told you that you're beautiful?" he whispered.

"No," she breathed, suddenly nervous with the way he was looking at her.

"You are." He brought his lips down to hers and kissed her deeply. She eagerly responded, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. He gave a small groan. Ignoring her protests, he pulled away. However, she didn't mind his lips leaving hers to travel up her jawbone to her ear where he said "I love you" in a barely audible whisper, didn't care when his hands roamed her back, didn't object when his lips returned to her skin, only moaned when she felt butterfly kisses all over her neck, across her collarbone, his hands gently pushing away the fabric of her dress to kiss her shoulder, the feel of his lips traveling downwards to the V-neck of her dress, the feel of his warm breath on her chest, the sensation of his lips on hers once more, her moan of protest as he finally pulled away, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry if I'm going too fast," he said breathlessly, looking at her regretfully.

"Sometimes I feel you're going too slowly," she replied, her eyes glistening.

"Oh, don't say that," he groaned, and leaned down to kiss her again.

Liesl pulled her head away from the door, shaking her head. They were madly in love, she could tell. However, now wasn't the time for these antics, with Gretl upstairs waiting for her governess, especially at four o'clock in the morning. As much as she hated to interrupt their moment of passion, she felt she had to. Liesl knocked.

Maria pulled away from Georg as she heard a knock on the door. "Took you long enough to wake up, Captain," she said rather loudly.

Again, a knock.

"Maybe if you hadn't danced with me so much, I wouldn't have been so tired," he replied, straightening his shirt.

"Well excuse me." Maria tried desperately to even out her breathing.

Knock, knock.

"Come in," Georg said, sitting up on the couch, while Maria stood and smoothed her dress.

Liesl entered. "Are you going to come up, Fräulien Maria?"

"Yes, I am, it just took me a while to wake up your father."

"Really? He always seemed to be a light sleeper to me," Liesl said, hiding her wicked smile.

"Um, well, maybe he was just- uh-" Maria searched desperately for an excuse.

"I was tired. It's been a while since I was at a ball until two in the morning, dancing my feet off," Georg cut in, rescuing his new fiancée from what could have been an interesting situation.

"Oh. Well, Gretl's waiting for you, Fräulien Maria, so maybe you should come up now." Darn. Liesl had wanted to put them in a sticky situation.

"Mind if I join you?" Georg asked, standing up. Maria and Liesl looked at him, surprised. When was the last time he had tucked in his children? "I'm not allowed to tuck in my children?" he said, eyebrows raised. Maria just shrugged and led the way upstairs to the children's' bedrooms.

"Fräulien Maria?" Gretl's sleepy voice came from inside hers and Marta's bedroom.

"Yes, darling?" Maria whispered, entering the room and kneeling beside Gretl's bed.

"Are you and Father in love?"

"It's too late to get into that now, dear. Just go to sleep, it's too early to be up and about," Maria said hurriedly. Liesl noticed and smiled wickedly. Out of the corner of his eye, Georg noticed this, and realized that she knew more than she was letting on.

"Goodnight, Fräulien Maria," Gretl said, almost inaudibly.

"Goodnight, Gretl." Maria kissed the girl on her forehead and walked over to the door. She and Georg both reached for the light switch at the same time, his hand covering hers. She smiled at him, he smiled back, and Liesl's evil grin widened. They were caught.

Liesl led the way to her bedroom, but stopped outside the door. "So tell me, how was the ball?" she said, smirking at the dumbstruck look on her governess's face and the warning glance her father gave her.

"Perhaps we should talk about that in the morning, when we're all well rested," Maria tried to say, but Liesl stopped her.

"No, really, tell me all about it. Who was there? Did you dance all night? Did anyone do the whole 'first kiss of the new year' thing? I want details!"

"Liesl, I promise I'll tell you all about it in the morning, now it's really time for bed." Maria's tone was one of finality.

"Oh, alright," Liesl sighed, giving in at last. There was no mistaking that evil glare of her father's.

"Goodnight Liesl." Maria offered her arms for a hug.

"Goodnight Fräulien Maria. Goodnight Father." Liesl hugged them both, then entered her room to go to bed. But she didn't go to bed. When she was sure her father and governess were gone, she sprang out of bed and ran down the hallway to the room Louisa and Brigitta shared. She didn't bother knocking, knowing it wouldn't wake her sisters. When she opened the door, however, it was to find her two sisters sitting on Louisa's bed, talking in hushed tones. Their heads turned toward the door as she came in.

"Liesl? What are you doing here?" Louisa asked, getting up from the bed.

"You shouldn't be up now," Liesl said, entering the room.

"Neither should you!" Brigitta exclaimed.

"I happen to have classified information," Liesl said, a smug smile on her face.

"Classified information?"

"Concerning our father and our governess. Wait, why am I telling you, come see for yourselves!" Liesl led the way out of the room and stopped when she noticed her father and Fräulien Maria standing in the hall outside Maria's bedroom, conversing softly. She motioned for her sisters to hide with her around the corner, where they peeked their heads out to watch.

"I don't want to go to bed yet," Maria was whispering to Georg, who had his arms around her waist.

He was surprised by the glistening of her eyes. "Neither do I. Why don't we go back to my study and talk?"

"Alright." She yawned.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to bed?" he chuckled, clutching her closer to him.

"Don't laugh at me," she said, slapping his shoulder. "Quiet, we don't want to wake the children. Anyways, I don't trust Liesl; she's probably still up and about spying on us, right Liesl?"

Liesl was surprised that her Fräulien had noticed she was there. However, she didn't say anything.

"I don't think she's here, Maria," her father said, looking around.

"Hmmm. Well, we probably _should _go to bed, just in case. Besides I'm tired."

"Alright then. Goodnight darling." He kissed her on the forehead.

The girls and Maria were disappointed it wasn't a big passionate kiss, but they didn't let it show. "Goodnight Georg." She opened the door to her bedroom but hesitated. Georg watched her with raised eyebrows. Maria turned around to look at him.

"Yes?"

"Oh, I…" She stopped, looked around to make sure Liesl really wasn't there, then threw herself into his arms, kissing him fully on the lips. He was taken aback for a moment, stumbled a bit, then regained his footing and tightened his hold on her. Around the corner, the three girls suppressed giggles.

Maria pulled back, breathing heavily. "Goodnight, then," she said, backing up towards her room.

"Hem. Goodnight, Maria."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Oh, blast it all!" she exclaimed and fell into his arms.

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Do you want me to tuck you in?" he asked, smiling, eyes gleaming.

"Georg, don't be indecent."

"I didn't say anything indecent! It's your mind that's indecent, not mine."

"Will you tuck me in?" Maria begged, looking at him with those big blue eyes of hers.

He sighed. "How can I resist?" Even if it might be a bit indecent, he still wanted to.

She smiled in triumph and led him into her room. She went into the bathroom to change, much to his disappointment. She came out in her nightgown and he inhaled sharply at the thought of just the thin fabric between him and her sweet body. She smiled at him and climbed in bed. Georg tucked the covers around her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight, my darling Maria," he murmured.

"Goodnight Georg," she said, yawning. He smiled and leaned down for a last kiss on the lips before she fell asleep.

OOOO

Everyone was gathered at the breakfast table, awaiting the arrival of Maria, who was late as always.

"Sorry I'm late," she exclaimed, hurrying into the room.

"Oh, it's quite alright, Fräulien. You had a late night, it's no wonder you overslept." Georg looked at his fiancée over his glass of orange juice. Her hair was flying all over the place, her cheeks were flushed, and she had a goofy grin plastered on her face from a joke Friedrich had just told her. She looked beautiful.

Hiding his sudden smile behind a sip of orange juice, he noticed Liesl look pointedly at Louisa, who kicked Brigitta, who glanced between her father and Fräulien, nodding. The three girls smirked at each other, then Louisa began the questioning.

"You had a late night? How long did you stay at the ball? When did you come home? Did you have fun? Who was there? Were-"

"Louisa, one question at a time. Yes, we had a late night. We stayed at the ball from eight to two, so six hours. We got home at 2:30. I had a lot of fun, but you'd have to ask your father about his time. There were loads of people there, I can't remember half of them, but Josef, Anna, and their son Jakob were there of course," Maria explained, hoping that was the end of the questioning.

"Jakob was there? Oh I bet he flirted with you, Fräulien Maria. He always did with me," Liesl said, her smirk growing wider. It seemed like Jakob hadn't been the only one flirting with Fräulien Maria.

"Actually, yes, he did flirt with me," Maria said, blushing. She wasn't exactly proud of the fact.

"I'll bet he wasn't the only one!" Brigitta exclaimed, looking at her father expectantly.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence. Just because he had flirted with Maria didn't mean the whole world had to know. "Anyways, Brigitta, everyone there was from the Navy, and they're all married."

"You're not," Friedrich pointed out. He had some inkling of what his sisters were up to.

"What are you implying?" Georg looked at his son suspiciously.

"That you flirted with Fräulien Maria!"

"What's flirting?" Gretl asked. She didn't get what was going on.

"Can't we just drop the subject?" Maria cried over Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, and Brigitta's jumbled explanation of flirting. Everyone quieted after Maria's outburst. "Thank you," she said quietly, relieved that everyone had stopped talking about flirting.

Everyone was done with breakfast now and was standing in the foyer.

"I still don't get it," Gretl said softly.

Maria sighed. "I don't know how to explain it."

"Why don't we demonstrate?" Friedrich said, turning to Liesl, who blushed.

"I am NOT going to flirt with my brother, Friedrich."

"Why don't you and Father show us, Fräulien Maria?" Gretl said innocently. Maria looked at Georg, frightened. What if they got carried away?

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Gretl," she said, looking down at her feet.

The family started moving into the living room. Maria walked towards the back of the group with Georg, swinging her hips. She had an idea.

"She's flirting," he whispered in Liesl's ear. She grinned and nodded, then pointed out the fact to Louisa and Brigitta.

"What shall we do today, children?" Maria suddenly asked, turning around and clapping her hands together. She looked at Georg, batting her eyelashes a bit and giving him a sweet smile. "Any suggestions, Captain?"

"None at all," he replied, smiling in return. She really knew how to flirt.

"I think we should sing!" Marta pronounced. She had been quiet all morning and noticed something different about her governess, but was afraid to mention it.

"Wonderful idea, Marta," Maria said, beaming. "Shall I get the guitar?" She bounded past the children, reaching the Captain. "Want to come?"

"I would be delighted," he replied, noticing the looks on Kurt's and Gretl's faces. They seemed to be the only ones who hadn't noticed something strange this morning, but now they were catching on.

Georg accompanied her upstairs, placing his hand on the small of her back as they ascended the staircase. Once in Maria's room, Maria strolled over to the corner where her guitar was and brought it back to the bed. She dropped it on the bed and motioned for Georg to come to her.

"What?" he breathed, loving the way she was looking at him.

"I haven't kissed you all morning," she said intensely.

"Such a disappointment." There was no sarcasm in his voice as he said this.

"I missed you," she said, coming closer.

"I missed you too, even if you were only on the opposite side of the table."

Maria couldn't help herself anymore and quite literally threw herself at him. He caught her in those strong arms of his and commenced to kiss her senseless.

Outside the open door, the children gave one collective gasp. They had been spying. Liesl looked at the others triumphantly and mouthed the words "told you!"

Maria heard a noise and quickly pulled away from Georg, wondering what it was.

"Children!" she exclaimed, blushing furiously. "Oh! I- uh- we- uh-"

"Children, what if I told you that you were going to have a new mother?" Georg asked, waiting for their reaction. Liesl, Louisa, and Brigitta were smiling, Friedrich looked exultant, and Marta and Gretl currently resembled codfish.

"Who would be our new mother?" Gretl asked.

"Maria," Georg said simply, looking at his fiancée with a proud look upon his face.

"Yes!" Gretl cried, flinging herself upon her governess. Maria looked surprised, then hugged the little girl tightly. When Gretl pulled away, Maria found herself drowning in a sea of hugs. From everyone except Kurt, that is. He was glaring at his father, arms crossed. Maria wondered what was going on.

"I'm not sure you deserve her," Kurt said softly.

"Why not?" Georg asked, confused. He had hoped that all the children would be happy about his engagement.

"Who deserves perfection?" Kurt asked, coming over to embrace Maria tightly. She finally laughed and ruffled his hair.

"Oh Kurt," she said, then sniffled.

"No crying," Georg scolded.

"Sorry. It's just I'm so happy," she choked back a sob.

"We're all going to be a big happy family!" Gretl cried, running around the room. Everyone was smiling.

"When will the wedding be?" Louisa asked.

"Not soon enough," Georg said, looking at Maria intensely. She didn't blush, but in the back of her mind, she agreed.

"A wedding! A wedding! A new mother! Oh, I'm so happy!" Gretl hugged everyone in the room, beaming. Her family couldn't help smiling back.

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Epilogue (kinda)

_Five years later_

Maria rolled over, her body coming into contact with her husband. She smiled in contentment and snuggled closer to him. He stirred.

"Up already?" he mumbled, stretching a bit, then putting his hand on her bare waist.

"Did I wake you?" she asked, gazing at him adoringly.

"It's quite alright," he said, smiling and pulling her close. "I'm not one to turn down quality time with my wife."

She giggled. "I never doubted that for a minute."

He was suddenly aware that he held his naked wife in his arms and that they had made love not three hours before.

"Tell me something, Maria."

"Anything."

"Have you ever tangoed?"

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That was it. Hoped you liked it.


	5. The REAL end!

This is the last chapter. For real this time. I hated Kurt's reaction at the end, so I changed it. It's the only thing different. Please read anyways and review!

OOOOOOO

At the von Trapp villa

"Maria? Fräulien? Maria? MOTHER! Mummy! Maria! Please!"

Marta sighed and buried her head in her pillow again, trying to drown out Gretl's cries for help. That was the worst thing about sharing a bedroom with her younger sister: the nightmares.

"MARIA!" Gretl shrieked again. Marta covered her head with her pillow and fell asleep, used to her sister's late night dreams.

"Maria?" Gretl's voice had quieted now that she was awake. She sat up in bed, wondering why her Fräulien hadn't answered her calls. She looked over at Marta's bed. Her older sister was sleeping soundly. Gretl slowly got out of bed, trying not to wake her. She tiptoed over to the door and closed it softly. Running down the hall towards Liesl's room, Gretl wondered if Maria and her father were still at the ball. They should be home by now. It was nearly four o'clock in the morning.

"Liesl?" Gretl whispered upon entering her older sister's room. "Liesl!" she said again, louder this time, bounding over to her bed and shaking her. Liesl groaned and rolled over to face the wall. "Liesl!" Gretl nearly shouted in her ear. Liesl gave a small cry and sat straight up in bed, looking around with a startled look on her face.

"What's going on? Maria? Gretl?" Liesl looked confused. "What's wrong, Gretl?"

"I had a nightmare, and Maria didn't come when I called her! She always comes! I don't know what's wrong? Did I do something? Is she mad at me?" The little girl's face looked fearful. She didn't want her governess to be mad.

"I suppose she's asleep and didn't hear you, Gretl. Do you really want to disturb her? I'm here, you know." Liesl's voice was quiet and soothing. She had lots of experience comforting her younger siblings.

"I want Fräulien Maria!" Gretl sobbed.

"Alright, I guess we can go see her. Come on." Liesl got out of bed and caught one of Gretl's hands in hers. She led her sister to their governess's room. "Knock, Gretl, knock," Liesl cautioned, grabbing Gretl's hand before she could open the door. Gretl knocked. There was no answer. She knocked again. Then, ignoring Liesl's warning, she flew into Maria's room.

"Fräulien Maria?" she whispered, noticing that the bed was made and there was no sign of her governess anywhere. "Fräulien Maria?" she said again, louder this time. Still no answer. "Maria!" she cried, desperate for her governess.

"I don't think she's here, Gretl," Liesl said softly. She didn't want to wake her other siblings, too.

"But it's four o'clock! She has to be here!" Gretl cried. "Maybe Father knows where she is!" Gretl ran out of the room and down the hall towards where her father slept. Forgetting to knock on his door, too, she burst into the room, only to find no trace of her father. "Father!" she cried, startled to find him gone. "Liesl, he's not here either!"

"Gretl, really, you're a big girl, do you really need Fräulien Maria or Father?" Liesl said tiredly. She loved her sister, but this was a little much.

"Yes! Hey! I know! Maybe he's in his study! Let's go!" Gretl grabbed her older sister's hand and dragged her all the way downstairs to their father's study. A thin strip of light was visible from under the door. "Told you!" Gretl whispered, knocking on the door. No one answered. She opened the door slowly, peeking inside the room.

"Father?" Liesl whispered, poking her head in the door. A large shape on the couch in front of the fire caught her eye. "Father?" she whispered again, entering the room with Gretl behind her.

Liesl slowly approached the couch. Somehow, it didn't seem her father could be the only one on the couch. Her breath caught in her throat as the whole piece of furniture came into view. It wasn't just her father. Maria was curled up beside him, her head resting on his chest, his arms around her, and they were both fast asleep.

"Father? Fräulien Maria?" Gretl gasped, mouth agape, staring at her governess and father with a look of utter confusion on her face. "Liesl? Do you think they fell asleep like that?" she asked, her face still confused.

Liesl sighed. Her sister was too young to understand. "I'm sure they were just tired, Gretl." Liesl sighed again. She was sure there was something going on between her father and Fräulien Maria, but she wasn't expecting _this. _At least they weren't _sleeping _sleeping together.

"Father!" Gretl ran over to her father and stood looking at him expectantly. "Fräulien Maria! Wake up!"

"Gretl, no!" Liesl warned, but it was too late. Her sister had started shaking her father and governess.

"Father! Maria! Wake up!" Maria groaned and moved about slowly.

"Maria! Wake up!"

Maria's eyes opened groggily, but she closed them the next second, murmuring "five more minutes…"

"Father! Maria! Please get up!" Gretl cried, shaking her governess harder.

Maria groaned again and opened one eye, looking rather like an owl. "Gretl? Liesl? What's going on?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

"You and Father fell asleep together, Fräulien Maria! I had a nightmare and you didn't come! I was scared!" Gretl said tearfully.

"We WHAT?" Maria shrieked, jumping up from the couch and looking around. Her eyes found the Captain on the couch, sleeping soundly. "Oh dear Lord…" she murmured.

"I had a nightmare!" Gretl cried.

"I'm so sorry, dear." Maria pulled the girl into a comforting hug.

"Maria?" Liesl said gently. Maria turned around to face her.

"Yes Liesl?"

"Would you like me to take Gretl back to bed?"

"No." She shook her head. "Let me do it. We should all be going to sleep," she said, looking around at the still sleeping Captain. "Why don't you two go upstairs and get in bed, I'll be up in a minute. I have to wake your father.'

"Alright." Liesl guided her sister out of the room, but sent her upstairs by herself. She wanted to investigate what was going on between her father and Fräulien Maria.

"Georg," Maria whispered, bending over him and shaking him slightly. "Georg." Liesl was slightly alarmed by Maria's use of his first name.

"Hmrumph mmgh mmm."

"Georg," Maria giggled. "Darling, wake up."

Darling?

"Lemmelone."

"No. You have to get up. Please," she said, shaking him harder.

"Prince Charming can't get up until Sleeping Beauty gives him a kiss," he joked, fully awake now, but with his eyes still closed.

"Isn't it the other way around?" Maria giggled.

"Just kiss me, you fool."

"Mmmm." She bent down to kiss him fully on the lips. Outside the room, Liesl gasped.

"Much better," Georg said, opening his eyes to find his beloved hovering above him, hoping for another kiss.

"You'll never guess what happened," Maria said a moment later, sitting down beside him, all hopes of kissing lost.

"What?" he asked, turning towards her and gathering her in his arms. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling the scent that was her. Liesl smiled.

"We fell asleep together."

"Just like I've always longed to."

"Georg."

"I'm a man, what do you expect?"

"Oh, I don't know… Anyways, Liesl and Gretl found us together. Thankfully, Gretl accepted the excuse of our just falling asleep, but I think we'll have to have a talk with Liesl. And the rest of the children too."

"Tomorrow," Georg murmured into her hair.

"What do you think they'll say?" Maria asked, turning into him and placing her hands on his upper arms. He shifted so she was lying half on him with her arms around him and her chin resting on his chest. Liesl watched these actions with a half smile, half grimace on her face. Their romance might be ideal, but that didn't mean she enjoyed watching this sappy affectionate stuff.

"I think they'll be happy. They love you," he said, looking at her with utmost adoration on his face.

"As their governess. But what will they think about their governess marrying their father?"

Again, Liesl gasped, but this time it was an excited gasp. Married? She certainly hoped the wedding would be soon! She loved Fräulien Maria as a mother already. And Maria had brought happiness back to their home. What would everyone's reaction be when she stayed forever? As their mother?

"They'd never forgive me if I didn't marry you," Georg said, looking at her with a smile.

"Neither would I."

He chuckled. "And I wouldn't forgive myself for losing such a wonderful woman."

"Now really, Georg," she said, squirming around in his grasp. He let her get comfortable, then lifted her chin up to his face with his index finger.

"Have I ever told you that you're beautiful?" he whispered.

"No," she breathed, suddenly nervous with the way he was looking at her.

"You are." He brought his lips down to hers and kissed her deeply. She eagerly responded, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. He gave a small groan. Ignoring her protests, he pulled away. However, she didn't mind his lips leaving hers to travel up her jawbone to her ear where he said "I love you" in a barely audible whisper, didn't care when his hands roamed her back, didn't object when his lips returned to her skin, only moaned when she felt butterfly kisses all over her neck, across her collarbone, his hands gently pushing away the fabric of her dress to kiss her shoulder, the feel of his lips traveling downwards to the V-neck of her dress, the feel of his warm breath on her chest, the sensation of his lips on hers once more, her moan of protest as he finally pulled away, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry if I'm going too fast," he said breathlessly, looking at her regretfully.

"Sometimes I feel you're going too slowly," she replied, her eyes glistening.

"Oh, don't say that," he groaned, and leaned down to kiss her again.

Liesl pulled her head away from the door, shaking her head. They were madly in love, she could tell. However, now wasn't the time for these antics, with Gretl upstairs waiting for her governess, especially at four o'clock in the morning. As much as she hated to interrupt their moment of passion, she felt she had to. Liesl knocked.

Maria pulled away from Georg as she heard a knock on the door. "Took you long enough to wake up, Captain," she said rather loudly.

Again, a knock.

"Maybe if you hadn't danced with me so much, I wouldn't have been so tired," he replied, straightening his shirt.

"Well excuse me." Maria tried desperately to even out her breathing.

Knock, knock.

"Come in," Georg said, sitting up on the couch, while Maria stood and smoothed her dress.

Liesl entered. "Are you going to come up, Fräulien Maria?"

"Yes, I am, it just took me a while to wake up your father."

"Really? He always seemed to be a light sleeper to me," Liesl said, hiding her wicked smile.

"Um, well, maybe he was just- uh-" Maria searched desperately for an excuse.

"I was tired. It's been a while since I was at a ball until two in the morning, dancing my feet off," Georg cut in, rescuing his new fiancée from what could have been an interesting situation.

"Oh. Well, Gretl's waiting for you, Fräulien Maria, so maybe you should come up now." Darn. Liesl had wanted to put them in a sticky situation.

"Mind if I join you?" Georg asked, standing up. Maria and Liesl looked at him, surprised. When was the last time he had tucked in his children? "I'm not allowed to tuck in my children?" he said, eyebrows raised. Maria just shrugged and led the way upstairs to the children's' bedrooms.

"Fräulien Maria?" Gretl's sleepy voice came from inside hers and Marta's bedroom.

"Yes, darling?" Maria whispered, entering the room and kneeling beside Gretl's bed.

"Are you and Father in love?"

"It's too late to get into that now, dear. Just go to sleep, it's too early to be up and about," Maria said hurriedly. Liesl noticed and smiled wickedly. Out of the corner of his eye, Georg noticed this, and realized that she knew more than she was letting on.

"Goodnight, Fräulien Maria," Gretl said, almost inaudibly.

"Goodnight, Gretl." Maria kissed the girl on her forehead and walked over to the door. She and Georg both reached for the light switch at the same time, his hand covering hers. She smiled at him, he smiled back, and Liesl's evil grin widened. They were caught.

Liesl led the way to her bedroom, but stopped outside the door. "So tell me, how was the ball?" she said, smirking at the dumbstruck look on her governess's face and the warning glance her father gave her.

"Perhaps we should talk about that in the morning, when we're all well rested," Maria tried to say, but Liesl stopped her.

"No, really, tell me all about it. Who was there? Did you dance all night? Did anyone do the whole 'first kiss of the new year' thing? I want details!"

"Liesl, I promise I'll tell you all about it in the morning, now it's really time for bed." Maria's tone was one of finality.

"Oh, alright," Liesl sighed, giving in at last. There was no mistaking that evil glare of her father's.

"Goodnight Liesl." Maria offered her arms for a hug.

"Goodnight Fräulien Maria. Goodnight Father." Liesl hugged them both, then entered her room to go to bed. But she didn't go to bed. When she was sure her father and governess were gone, she sprang out of bed and ran down the hallway to the room Louisa and Brigitta shared. She didn't bother knocking, knowing it wouldn't wake her sisters. When she opened the door, however, it was to find her two sisters sitting on Louisa's bed, talking in hushed tones. Their heads turned toward the door as she came in.

"Liesl? What are you doing here?" Louisa asked, getting up from the bed.

"You shouldn't be up now," Liesl said, entering the room.

"Neither should you!" Brigitta exclaimed.

"I happen to have classified information," Liesl said, a smug smile on her face.

"Classified information?"

"Concerning our father and our governess. Wait, why am I telling you, come see for yourselves!" Liesl led the way out of the room and stopped when she noticed her father and Fräulien Maria standing in the hall outside Maria's bedroom, conversing softly. She motioned for her sisters to hide with her around the corner, where they peeked their heads out to watch.

"I don't want to go to bed yet," Maria was whispering to Georg, who had his arms around her waist.

He was surprised by the glistening of her eyes. "Neither do I. Why don't we go back to my study and talk?"

"Alright." She yawned.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to bed?" he chuckled, clutching her closer to him.

"Don't laugh at me," she said, slapping his shoulder. "Quiet, we don't want to wake the children. Anyways, I don't trust Liesl; she's probably still up and about spying on us, right Liesl?"

Liesl was surprised that her Fräulien had noticed she was there. However, she didn't say anything.

"I don't think she's here, Maria," her father said, looking around.

"Hmmm. Well, we probably _should _go to bed, just in case. Besides I'm tired."

"Alright then. Goodnight darling." He kissed her on the forehead.

The girls and Maria were disappointed it wasn't a big passionate kiss, but they didn't let it show. "Goodnight Georg." She opened the door to her bedroom but hesitated. Georg watched her with raised eyebrows. Maria turned around to look at him.

"Yes?"

"Oh, I…" She stopped, looked around to make sure Liesl really wasn't there, then threw herself into his arms, kissing him fully on the lips. He was taken aback for a moment, stumbled a bit, then regained his footing and tightened his hold on her. Around the corner, the three girls suppressed giggles.

Maria pulled back, breathing heavily. "Goodnight, then," she said, backing up towards her room.

"Hem. Goodnight, Maria."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Oh, blast it all!" she exclaimed and fell into his arms.

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Do you want me to tuck you in?" he asked, smiling, eyes gleaming.

"Georg, don't be indecent."

"I didn't say anything indecent! It's your mind that's indecent, not mine."

"Will you tuck me in?" Maria begged, looking at him with those big blue eyes of hers.

He sighed. "How can I resist?" Even if it might be a bit indecent, he still wanted to.

She smiled in triumph and led him into her room. She went into the bathroom to change, much to his disappointment. She came out in her nightgown and he inhaled sharply at the thought of just the thin fabric between him and her sweet body. She smiled at him and climbed in bed. Georg tucked the covers around her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight, my darling Maria," he murmured.

"Goodnight Georg," she said, yawning. He smiled and leaned down for a last kiss on the lips before she fell asleep.

OOOO

Everyone was gathered at the breakfast table, awaiting the arrival of Maria, who was late as always.

"Sorry I'm late," she exclaimed, hurrying into the room.

"Oh, it's quite alright, Fräulien. You had a late night, it's no wonder you overslept." Georg looked at his fiancée over his glass of orange juice. Her hair was flying all over the place, her cheeks were flushed, and she had a goofy grin plastered on her face from a joke Friedrich had just told her. She looked beautiful.

Hiding his sudden smile behind a sip of orange juice, he noticed Liesl look pointedly at Louisa, who kicked Brigitta, who glanced between her father and Fräulien, nodding. The three girls smirked at each other, then Louisa began the questioning.

"You had a late night? How long did you stay at the ball? When did you come home? Did you have fun? Who was there? Were-"

"Louisa, one question at a time. Yes, we had a late night. We stayed at the ball from eight to two, so six hours. We got home at 2:30. I had a lot of fun, but you'd have to ask your father about his time. There were loads of people there, I can't remember half of them, but Josef, Anna, and their son Jakob were there of course," Maria explained, hoping that was the end of the questioning.

"Jakob was there? Oh I bet he flirted with you, Fräulien Maria. He always did with me," Liesl said, her smirk growing wider. It seemed like Jakob hadn't been the only one flirting with Fräulien Maria.

"Actually, yes, he did flirt with me," Maria said, blushing. She wasn't exactly proud of the fact.

"I'll bet he wasn't the only one!" Brigitta exclaimed, looking at her father expectantly.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence. Just because he had flirted with Maria didn't mean the whole world had to know. "Anyways, Brigitta, everyone there was from the Navy, and they're all married."

"You're not," Friedrich pointed out. He had some inkling of what his sisters were up to.

"What are you implying?" Georg looked at his son suspiciously.

"That you flirted with Fräulien Maria!"

"What's flirting?" Gretl asked. She didn't get what was going on.

"Can't we just drop the subject?" Maria cried over Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, and Brigitta's jumbled explanation of flirting. Everyone quieted after Maria's outburst. "Thank you," she said quietly, relieved that everyone had stopped talking about flirting.

Everyone was done with breakfast now and was standing in the foyer.

"I still don't get it," Gretl said softly.

Maria sighed. "I don't know how to explain it."

"Why don't we demonstrate?" Friedrich said, turning to Liesl, who blushed.

"I am NOT going to flirt with my brother, Friedrich."

"Why don't you and Father show us, Fräulien Maria?" Gretl said innocently. Maria looked at Georg, frightened. What if they got carried away?

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Gretl," she said, looking down at her feet.

The family started moving into the living room. Maria walked towards the back of the group with Georg, swinging her hips. She had an idea.

"She's flirting," he whispered in Liesl's ear. She grinned and nodded, then pointed out the fact to Louisa and Brigitta.

"What shall we do today, children?" Maria suddenly asked, turning around and clapping her hands together. She looked at Georg, batting her eyelashes a bit and giving him a sweet smile. "Any suggestions, Captain?"

"None at all," he replied, smiling in return. She really knew how to flirt.

"I think we should sing!" Marta pronounced. She had been quiet all morning and noticed something different about her governess, but was afraid to mention it.

"Wonderful idea, Marta," Maria said, beaming. "Shall I get the guitar?" She bounded past the children, reaching the Captain. "Want to come?"

"I would be delighted," he replied, noticing the looks on Kurt's and Gretl's faces. They seemed to be the only ones who hadn't noticed something strange this morning, but now they were catching on.

Georg accompanied her upstairs, placing his hand on the small of her back as they ascended the staircase. Once in Maria's room, Maria strolled over to the corner where her guitar was and brought it back to the bed. She dropped it on the bed and motioned for Georg to come to her.

"What?" he breathed, loving the way she was looking at him.

"I haven't kissed you all morning," she said intensely.

"Such a disappointment." There was no sarcasm in his voice as he said this.

"I missed you," she said, coming closer.

"I missed you too, even if you were only on the opposite side of the table."

Maria couldn't help herself anymore and quite literally threw herself at him. He caught her in those strong arms of his and commenced to kiss her senseless.

Outside the open door, the children gave one collective gasp. They had been spying. Liesl looked at the others triumphantly and mouthed the words "told you!"

Maria heard a noise and quickly pulled away from Georg, wondering what it was.

"Children!" she exclaimed, blushing furiously. "Oh! I- uh- we- uh-"

"Children, what if I told you that you were going to have a new mother?" Georg asked, waiting for their reaction. Liesl, Louisa, and Brigitta were smiling, Friedrich looked exultant, and Marta and Gretl currently resembled codfish.

"Who would be our new mother?" Gretl asked.

"Maria," Georg said simply, looking at his fiancée with a proud look upon his face.

"Yes!" Gretl cried, flinging herself upon her governess. Maria looked surprised, then hugged the little girl tightly. When Gretl pulled away, Maria found herself drowning in a sea of hugs. From everyone except Kurt, that is. He was glaring at his father, arms crossed. Maria wondered what was going on.

"Took you long enough!" Kurt finally exclaimed, coming over to embrace Maria tightly. She laughed and ruffled his hair.

"Oh Kurt," she said, then sniffled.

"No crying," Georg scolded.

"Sorry. It's just I'm so happy," she choked back a sob.

"We're all going to be a big happy family!" Gretl cried, running around the room. Everyone was smiling.

"When will the wedding be?" Louisa asked.

"Not soon enough," Georg said, looking at Maria intensely. She didn't blush, but in the back of her mind, she agreed.

"A wedding! A wedding! A new mother! Oh, I'm so happy!" Gretl hugged everyone in the room, beaming. Her family couldn't help smiling back.

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Epilogue (kinda)

_Five years later_

Maria rolled over, her body coming into contact with her husband. She smiled in contentment and snuggled closer to him. He stirred.

"Up already?" he mumbled, stretching a bit, then putting his hand on her bare waist.

"Did I wake you?" she asked, gazing at him adoringly.

"It's quite alright," he said, smiling and pulling her close. "I'm not one to turn down quality time with my wife."

She giggled. "I never doubted that for a minute."

He was suddenly aware that he held his naked wife in his arms and that they had made love not three hours before.

"Tell me something, Maria."

"Anything."

"Have you ever tangoed?"

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So that was the real end. In my opinion, it was much better than last time. Please review!


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